Sony PCG-FX410 User Guide

Welcome.......................................................7

Using Your VAIO Notebook........................9

Using the Keyboard...................................................10

Functions of the keyboard keys .........................................11

Combinations and functions with the Windows key .........12

Indicators ...........................................................................13

Indicator lights...................................................................13

Combinations and functions with the Fn key ....................14

Using the Touchpad ..................................................16

Using the Floppy Disk Drive ....................................18

To insert a floppy disk .......................................................18

To remove a floppy disk ....................................................18

To remove the floppy disk drive........................................19

To reinsert the floppy disk drive........................................20

Using the Optical Disc Drive ....................................21

To insert a disc...................................................................21

To remove a disc................................................................22

To play a DVD...................................................................23

To play an audio CD ..........................................................24

Notes on CD and DVD media ...........................................25

To write data to a CD-RW or CD-R disc...........................26

Using PC Cards .........................................................27

To insert a PC card.............................................................27

To remove a PC Card.........................................................28

Notes on PC Cards.............................................................29

Using a Second Battery Pack ....................................30

To insert a second battery pack..........................................30

To charge the second battery pack.....................................31

To remove the second battery pack ...................................32

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Using the Weight Saver ............................................34

To attach the weight saver ................................................ 34

To remove the weight saver.............................................. 34

Using Power Saving Modes......................................36

Normal mode..................................................................... 36

Standby mode.................................................................... 36

Hibernate mode................................................................. 36

Notes on power saving modes .......................................... 37

Connecting a Phone Line..........................................38

Connecting to a LAN................................................ 39

To set up your ethernet connection ................................... 39

Connecting Peripheral Devices ...............41

Connecting a Port Replicator....................................42

To attach your notebook to the port replicator.................. 42

To remove your notebook from the port replicator........... 44

Connecting an External Mouse or Keyboard............46

To connect an external mouse or keyboard ...................... 46

Connecting a Parallel Port Printer ............................47

To connect a printer .......................................................... 47

Connecting a USB Printer.........................................48

To connect a USB printer.................................................. 48

Connecting an External Display ...............................49

To connect a computer display ......................................... 49

To connect a multimedia computer display ...................... 49

To connect a projector....................................................... 50

To select a display............................................................. 51

Connecting a TV Display..........................................52

To connect a TV ................................................................52

Changing the display resolution for TV Out .....................52

Notes on TV display ..........................................................53

Connecting a USB Device.........................................54

To connect a USB device...................................................54

Connecting an i.LINK Device...................................55

To connect a digital video camera recorder.......................55

Notes on i.LINK devices ...................................................56

Connecting VAIO computers....................................58

Connecting with i.LINK ....................................................58

Connecting External Speakers ..................................59

Before connecting your external speakers .........................59

To connect external speakers.............................................59

Connecting an External Microphone.........................60

To connect an external microphone ...................................60

Expanding Your Notebook Capabilities ...................61

Personal Digital Assistant..................................................61

Wireless LAN Access Point ..............................................61

Wireless LAN PC Card......................................................62

Customizing Your VAIO Notebook ..........63

Displaying the Sony Notebook Setup Screen ...........64

To display the Sony Notebook Setup screen .....................64

Sony Notebook Setup Tabs................................................65

Controlling Power Management ...............................66

To view the Power Management status icons....................66

Power Management profiles ..............................................67

Power management commands .........................................69

Conserving battery power..................................................70

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Displaying Battery Information................................71

To activate the Battery Information toolbar...................... 71

Battery icon descriptions................................................... 71

To display detailed battery information............................ 72

To customize the Battery Information toolbar and alarm sys-

tem..................................................................................... 73

Selecting the Display Mode......................................74

To select the display mode................................................ 74

To change the Window Design of Sony software............. 76

Adding Memory to Your VAIO Notebook 77

Precautions and Procedures ......................................78

Typical expansion memory configuration ........................ 78

Removing a Memory Module...................................80

Installing a Memory Module ....................................82

Viewing the Amount of Memory.............................. 84

About the Software on Your Notebook...85

Software Overview ...................................................86

Application, Driver, and System Recovery CDs ......92

Using Your Recovery CDs .......................................93

To use the Application Recovery CD(s) ........................... 93

To use the Driver Recovery CD(s) ................................... 93

To use the System Recovery CD(s) .................................. 98

Troubleshooting......................................101

Troubleshooting Your Notebook ............................102

My notebook does not start..............................................102

My notebook starts, but a BIOS error is displayed..........102

My notebook starts, but the message “Operating system not

found” appears and Windows does not start....................103

My notebook stops responding or does not shut down....104

The Power Management setting is not responding. .........104

The sound of my notebook’s fan is too loud. ..................105

Why does the System Properties dialog box display a slower

CPU speed than advertised? ............................................105

Troubleshooting the LCD Screen............................106

My LCD screen is blank. .................................................106

My LCD screen continues to show the previous screen. .106 The image on my connected external display is not centered

or sized properly. .............................................................106

I want to change the video resolution of my display. ......106

I want to change the display resolution for TV Out ........106

I cannot switch the LCD display to TV, and vice versa. .107

Troubleshooting the Mouse and Touchpad.............108

My mouse does not work. ................................................108

My touchpad does not work properly. .............................108

The pointer does not move while I am using the Touchpad or

Mouse...............................................................................109

Troubleshooting Drives, PC Cards and Peripheral De-

vices.........................................................................110

My floppy disk drive cannot write to a floppy disk.........110

My optical drive is not playing a CD or DVD properly. .110

My optical drive tray does not open. ...............................111

I cannot use Digital Video (DV) devices. The message “DV equipment seems to be disconnected or turned off” appears.

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111

My PC Card is not working. ........................................... 111

Troubleshooting Software....................................... 112

My software program stops responding or crashes......... 112

When I click an application icon, the message “You must insert the application CD into your optical drive” appears and

the software does not start............................................... 112

I cannot use the DVgate software. .................................. 112

Troubleshooting the Modem................................... 113

My modem does not work. ............................................. 113

My modem connection is slow. ...................................... 113

Troubleshooting Audio ........................................... 114

My speakers make no sound. .......................................... 114

My microphone does not work. ...................................... 114

Troubleshooting the Printer ....................................115

I cannot print. .................................................................. 115

Troubleshooting i.LINK devices ............................116

I cannot establish a connection between two VAIO comput-

ers when using an i.LINK cable. ..................................... 116

Getting Help.............................................117

Support Options ......................................................118

Software Support Information ................................120

Sony Service Center................................................122

Welcome

Congratulations on your purchase of this Sony VAIO® computer, and welcome to the VAIO Notebook User Guide. This User Guide provides detailed information on all aspects of using your new VAIO computer, from keyboard functions to preinstalled software applications. In the left navigation window, click the topics you want to learn more about, and that information will be displayed in this main window.

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Using Your VAIO Notebook

This section describes the following aspects of your new computer:

❑ Using the Keyboard

❑ Using the Touchpad

❑ Using the Floppy Disk Drive

❑ Using the Optical Disc Drive

❑ Using PC Cards

❑ UsingaSecondBatteryPack

❑ Using the Weight Saver

❑ Using Power Saving Modes

❑ Connecting a Phone Line

❑ ConnectingtoaLAN

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Using the Keyboard

Your keyboard is very similar to a typewriter’s, but the keyboard has additional keys that perform specific computer-related tasks.

Keyboard

Correction keys

Navigation keys

Shift key

Ctrl key

Fn key

Escape key Function keys Print Screen key

Applications key

Alt key

Windows® key

Numeric keypad area

Functions of the keyboard keys

Key Description

Using the Keyboard

Numeric keypad area

Navigation keys Several keys are devoted to moving the cursor on the screen.

Correction keys The Insert, Back Space, and Delete keys enable you to make

Function keys The twelve function keys along the top of the keyboard are

Escape key The Esc (Escape) key is used to cancel commands.

Print Screen key The Print Screen key takes an electronic snapshot of the

Operator keys (Shift, Ctrl, Alt keys)

Contains the keys found on a typical calculator. Use the numeric keypad area to type numbers or to perform mathematical calculations such as addition and subtraction. Note that you must press the Num Lock key to activate the numeric keypad. (When you do so, the Num Lock light will be on.)

corrections in your documents.

used to perform designated tasks. For example, in many applications, F1 is the Help key. The task associated with each function key may vary from one application to the next.

screen and places it in the Windows® Clipboard. You can then paste the screen shot into a document and print it.

Several keys are always used with at least one other key: Ctrl, Alt,andShift.Whenhelddownwithanotherkey,theCtrl (Control) and Alt (Alternate) keys offer another way to give commands. For example, in many applications, instead of choosing the Save command from a menu, you can hold down Ctrl and press S (referred to as Ctrl+S). The Shift key operates the same way as on a typewriter; it is used to produce capital letters or special symbols, such as @ and $.

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Key Description

Windows key The key with the Windows® logo displays the Windows Start

menu; it is the equivalent of clicking the Start button on the taskbar. See “Combinations and functions with the Windows key” for more information.

Fn key The Fn key is used in combination with other keys to issue

commands. See “Combinations and functions with the Fn key” for more information.

Applications key The Applications key displays a shortcut menu of context-

sensitive choices. Pressing this key is the equivalent of clicking the right mouse button.

Combinations and functions with the Windows key

Combination Function

+ F1 Displays VAIO® Help and Support Center.

+ Tab Switches the selected button on the taskbar.

+ D Displays the Desktop.

+ E Displays Windows Explorer.

+ F Displays the Search window to find a file or folder. This is

the equivalent of selecting Search from the Start menu.

+ Ctrl + F Displays the Search Results: Computers window where you

can locate other computers. This is the equivalent of selecting Search and then Computers from the Start menu.

+ M Minimizes all displayed windows.

Using the Keyboard

Combination Function

Shift + + M Returns all minimized windows to their previous size.

+ R Displays the Run window. This is the equivalent of selecting

Run from the Start menu.

Fn + + Insert Displays the System Properties window. This is the

equivalent of selecting Control Panel and then System from the Start menu.

Indicators

Indicator Function

Power Light is green when the power to the notebook is turned on,

flashes amber in Standby mode, and turns off when the notebook is in Hibernate mode or powered off.

Battery 1 Indicates the status of the battery inserted in the battery bay

on the left side of the notebook.

Battery 2 Indicates the status of the battery inserted in the multipurpose

drive bay on the right side of the notebook.

Hard disk Lights when data is being read from or written to the hard

drive. Do not enter Standby mode or turn off the notebook when this indicator light is on.

Indicator lights

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Light On Off

Num Lock

Caps Lock

Scroll Lock

The number keys in the numeric keypad are active.

The letters appear in uppercase as you type. The Shift key lowers the case of typed letters when Caps Lock is on.

The screen scrolls differently. (Exactly how it scrolls depends on the specific application. It has no effect in many applications.)

The alphanumeric character keys in the keypad area are active.

Letters appear in lower case as you type (unless you hold down the Shift key).

Information moves across the display normally.

Combinations and functions with the Fn key

✍ If you switch user identities during a computing session, the Fn+F7 and Fn+F8 key

functionality (if available on your computer) will be interrupted. To switch to an external display or monitor, see “Selecting the Display Mode” for more information.

Combinations/ Feature Function

Fn+ (ESC) Standby

Puts the system into Standby mode, a power management state. To return the system to the active state, press any key.

Fn+ (F3) Mute On/Off

Fn+ (F4) Speaker volume

Fn+ (F5) Brightness control

Toggles the built-in speaker off and on.

Adjusts the built-in speaker volume. To increase volume, press Fn+F4, then or . To decrease volume, press Fn+F4, then or .

Adjusts the brightness of the LCD. To increase light intensity, press Fn+F5 and then or . To decrease light intensity, press Fn+F5 and then or .

Combinations/ Feature Function

Using the Keyboard

LCD

Fn+ / (F7)

Toggles through the LCD, external display (connected to the

Monitor port) and both LCD and external display. Switch to the external monitor/LCD

LCD

Fn+ only/

(F8)

Control TV Out

Only LCD

Toggles between LCD-only and dual LCD/TV display modes.

Only LCD

LCD and external display

Only external display

LCD and external display

Only external display

Connect the cable before you turn on the notebook, otherwise Fn + F8 will not work.

Fn+ (F12) Hibernate

Provides for the lowest level of power consumption. When you execute this command, the state of the system and state of the peripheral devices are written to the hard disk and the system power is turned off. To return the system to its original state, use the power button to turn on power.

Fn+ F Display control. Minimizes and maximizes the LCD screen.

If the default display resolution is reduced, this function maximizes the display resolution to fit the screen size. Maximizing the display screen enables you to view the display at a greater resolution.

✍ Some functions are not available until Windows® launches.

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Using the Touchpad

The keyboard contains a cursor-pointing device called a touchpad. You can point to, select, drag, and scroll objects on the screen using the built-in touchpad.

Touchpad

Pointer

Tou c hpad

Right button

Left button

Action Description

Point Slide one finger on the touchpad to place the pointer on an

item or object.

Click Press the left button once.

Double-click Press the left button twice.

Using the Touchpad

Action Description

Right-click Press the right button once. In many applications, this action

displays a shortcut menu of context-sensitive choices.

Drag Slide one finger while pressing the left button.

Scroll Move your finger along the right edge of the touchpad to

scroll vertically. Move your finger along the bottom to scroll horizontally. (The scroll function is available only with applications that support a touchpad scroll feature.)

See Mouse Properties for information on touchpad features, such as clicking both buttons simultaneously, adjusting touchpad speed, and Easy Launcher functions. To access Mouse Properties, go to Start, select Control Panel, and click the Mouse icon.

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Using the Floppy Disk Drive

Your notebook is supplied with the floppy disk drive in the multipurpose bay.

To insert a floppy disk

1 Hold the floppy disk with the label side facing up.

2 Gently push the floppy disk into the drive until it clicks into place.

Inserting a floppy disk

Floppy disk

Floppy disk drive

To remove a floppy disk

1 After you finish using the floppy disk, wait until the LED indicator turns off.

2 Press the Eject button to remove the floppy disk.

Using the Floppy Disk Drive

Removing a floppy disk

Eject button

LED indicator

✍ Do not push the eject button when the LED indicator is turned on. Otherwise, data may

be lost.

To remove the floppy disk drive

1 Turn off the notebook.

2 Locate the release lever on the bottom of the notebook.

3 Slide the lever in the direction of the arrow.

Multipurpose bay release lever

4 Slide the floppy disk drive out of the multipurpose bay.

5 Insert the weight saver. See “Using the Weight Saver” for more information.

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To reinsert the floppy disk drive

1 Turn off the notebook.

2 If another device is in the multipurpose bay, remove the device. See “To

remove the second battery pack” for more information.

3 Insert the floppy disk drive into the multipurpose bay with the VAIO label

facing up.

4 Continue pushing the drive into the bay until the release lever locks into

place.

Inserting the floppy disk drive

Multipurpose bay

Floppy disk drive

Using the Optical Disc Drive

Your notebook comes with an optical disc drive, either a CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive or DVD-ROM drive, depending on the model you purchased.

Do not use adhesive labels to identify your discs. Adhesive labels may come off while the disc is in use in the optical drive, and may cause damage to the drive.

To insert a disc

When the notebook is in Standby or Hibernate mode, you cannot insert a disc. See “Controlling Power Management” for more information on Standby and Hibernate modes.

1 Turn on the notebook.

2 Press the Eject button to open the optical drive. The tray slides out.

Ejecting the tray

Eject button

3 Place an optical disc on the tray with the label side facing up. For DVDs that

can be played on both sides, the side of the disc facing up is the side that plays.

4 Push the disc onto the hub until the disc clicks securely into place.

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Be sure to seat the disc firmly over the hub fingers. If you do not seat the disc firmly, you could damage the optical drive and you may not be able to open the tray.

Inserting an optical disc

5 Close the tray by pushing it gently.

Label side facing up

To remove a disc

When the notebook is in power saving modes, you cannot remove a disc. See “Controlling Power Management” for more information about power saving modes.

1 After you finish using a disc, wait until the LED indicator turns off.

2 Press the Eject button to remove the disc.

3 If the disc does not come out when you press the Eject button, turn off the

notebook and insert a thin, straight object (such as a paper clip) into the manual eject hole.

Manually removing a disc

Using the Optical Disc Drive

To play a DVD

To play a DVD, you may use the optical disc drive and the preinstalled WinDVD® software. For more information on WinDVD, see the Help menu in the WinDVD application.

✍ Before you use the optical disc drive to play a DVD, quit any open applications.

Your optical disc drive can read most DVD-R media. When you are ready to play a DVD, read the suggestions below to maximize your video viewing experience.

❑ When playing a DVD on battery power, set the power management profile to

DVD. You can also set the power management profile to Automatic Profile Selection if the display is not clear when using other profiles.

✍ Automatic Profile Selection sets the power management profile to DVD whenever a

DVD is inserted. See “Controlling Power Management” for more information.

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❑ If you connect your notebook to a TV display, you may need to adjust the

display resolution. Read the suggestions below to set the display resolution to the proper dimensions. Also see “Selecting the Display Mode” for more information.

❑ If the notebook is set to the default display setting, part of the video screen

will not appear. To view the entire screen, adjust the display resolution to 640 x 480. See “Connecting a TV Display” for more information.

❑ The screen resolution must be set to 640 x 480 dots in order to play a DVD

while using the TV Out jack. See “Connecting a TV Display” for more information.

Some discs recorded at 20 or 24 bits may produce noise while playing. If you have audio devices connected, this may cause damage to your hearing and the speakers. Reduce the volume before playing a DVD.

You cannot use the Fn + F8 function to switch between LCD and TV once a DVD is inserted into the optical drive.

Do not switch between LCD and the external display while the DVD is playing. This may cause a malfunction, and you may need to restart the DVD software.

To play an audio CD

To play an audio CD, make sure the audio function is turned on. To do this, complete the following procedure.

1 Click Start, click Control Panel, click Performance and Maintenance, and

then click System. The System Properties window appears.

2 Select the Hardware tab and then click Device Manager in the Device

Manager box. A window appears, listing your notebook hardware devices.

3 Double-click DVD/CD-ROM drives. From the drop-down list, double-click

the drive name. A properties window appears.

4 Click the Properties tab. Select the “Enable digital CD audio for this CD-

ROM device” check box if it is not already selected, and then click OK.

You can play DVDs using the optical drive and the WinDVD

software. See the

help file that comes with the WinDVD software for details.

❑ To achieve optimum performance when playing DVDs, it is recommended

that your notebook not be connected to the port replicator while playing

Using the Optical Disc Drive

DVD movies or using DVD applications. Close any open applications before playing a DVD movie.

❑ When playing DVD movies on battery power, set the power management

profile to DVD. With other profiles, the movies are choppy. As an alternative, you can set the power management profile to Automatic Profile Selection, which will cause the DVD profile to be selected automatically whenever you insert a DVD. See “Controlling Power Management” for information on how to set the power management profile.

Notes on CD and DVD media

❑ Do not switch the power saving modes while you are playing the DVD disc.

❑ Disable the screen saver and the virus checker (if it is active).

❑ Do not use memory-resident utility software to speed up disc access. This

may cause the notebook to malfunction.

❑ Do not drop or bend the disc.

❑ Do not touch the surface of the disc. Fingerprints and dust on the surface of a

disc may cause data errors. Proper care of the disc is essential to maintain its reliability. Do not use solvents such as benzine, thinner, commercially available cleaners or anti-static spray, as they may cause damage to the disc.

❑ For normal cleaning, hold the disc by its edge and use a soft cloth to wipe the

surface from the center out.

❑ If the disc is badly soiled, moisten a soft cloth with water, wring it out well,

and use it to wipe the surface of the disc from the center out. Wipe off any remaining moisture with a dry soft cloth.

When using your notebook to play DVDs on your TV

❑ If you connect a TV to your notebook to play DVDs, see “Selecting the

Display Mode” for instructions.

❑ The screen resolution must be set to 640 x 480 dots in order to play a DVD

while using the TV Out jack. See “Connecting a TV Display” for more information.

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To write data to a CD-RW or CD-R disc

You can use Sony SonicStage and Microsoft® Windows® XP to write data to a CD-RorCD-RWdisc.TocreateaCD-RdiscthatisreadableinaCD-ROM drive, make sure you finish the writing process before ejecting it. For more information, see the instructions included with Windows® XP.

❑ For optimal writing speed, deactivate the screen saver and exit anti-virus

software before writing data to a disc.

❑ For best results, use CD-Rs that are compatible with 8x speed.

❑ Do not put your notebook into power saving mode while writing data to a

CD-R or CD-RW disc.

Do not strike or shake the notebook while writing data to a disc.

Memory-resident disc utilities, such as the screen saver and virus checker, may cause unstable operation or data loss. Deactivate these utilities before writing data to a disc.

Always use the AC adapter as the power source for your notebook when you are writing data to a CD-R or CD-RW. Using battery power may result in data transfer failure.

* For notebook models equipped with a CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive.

Using PC Cards

Your notebook includes two PC Card slots. PC Cards enable you to connect portable external devices such as another hard disk drive, or to connect to a network.

The PC Card slots can accommodate two Type I/II PC Cards, or one Type III PC Card. These slots are compatible with CardBus. Use the lower slot for Type III PC Cards. You do not need to shut down your notebook before inserting or removing a PC Card.

To insert a PC card

1 Push the Release button. The Release button pops out.

PC Card release button

Release button

2 Press the Release button a second time. The PC Card slot protector pops out.

✍ When you use a Type III PC Card, you need to remove both the top and bottom PC

Card slot protectors.

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PC Card slot protector

3 Insert the PC Card into the PC Card slot.

4 Verify that the front label of the PC Card is facing up.

5 Push the PC Card slot gently into the port. Your system automatically detects

the PC Card. The Unplug or Eject Hardware icon appears in the taskbar.

Inserting a PC Card

Insert with the arrow facing toward the slot

PC Card

Do not force a PC Card into the slot as this may damage the connector pins.

Touching the head of the PC Card will not cause damage to the connector pins, but damage can occur if the head of the PC Card is sticking out of the notebook while the unit is being transported.

To remove a PC Card

If your notebook is turned off, you do not have to follow these instructions.

Using PC Cards

1 Double-click in the taskbar. The “Safely remove ... PC Card” dialog box

appears.

2 Click the dialog box. The message, “Safe to Remove Hardware” appears.

3 Clicktoclosethemessage.

4 Push the Release button. The Release button pops out.

5 Push the Release button a second time. The PC Card pops out.

6 Gently grasp the card and pull it out of the slot.

7 Insert the PC Card slot protector into the empty slot.

Notes on PC Cards

❑ For some PC Cards, if you alternate between normal power operation and

the Standby or Hibernate power management modes while the card is inserted, you may find that a device connected to your system is not recognized. Reboot your system to correct the problem.

❑ Some PC Cards may require that you disable idle devices when using the PC

Card. You can use Sony Notebook Setup to disable devices. See “Displaying the Sony Notebook Setup Screen” for more information.

❑ Be sure to use the most recent software driver provided by the PC Card

manufacturer.

❑ If an exclamation mark (!) appears on the Device Manager tab in the System

Properties dialog box, remove the software driver and then reinstall it.

❑ You may not be able to use some PC Cards or some functions of the PC Card

with this notebook. If you have difficulty inserting a card, check that you are orienting the card correctly. See the manual that came with your PC Card for more information on use.

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Using a Second Battery Pack

You can purchase a second rechargeable battery pack. With two battery packs, you can extend the time that you use your notebook with battery power. When using two battery packs, the battery pack you insert first charges first. The second battery pack you insert charges when the first battery pack is 85 percent full. You can monitor which battery pack is charging by observing the battery indicators.

To insert a second battery pack

1 If another device is in the multipurpose bay, remove the device.

2 Insert the battery pack into the multipurpose bay.

✍ If the battery is being used, the battery 2 indicator turns on.

Second battery in multipurpose bay

Multipurpose bay

Battery pack

Label side facing down

3 Attach the weight saver to the notebook to stabilize the battery pack.

4 Locate the release lever on the bottom of the weight saver.

5 Slide the lever toward the front of the notebook to lock the weight saver. See

also “Using the Weight Saver” for more information.

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